FREE NEJM E-TOC    HOME   |   SUBSCRIBE   |   CURRENT ISSUE   |   PAST ISSUES   |   COLLECTIONS   |   Search Term  Advanced Search

Sign in | Get NEJM's E-Mail Table of Contents — Free | Subscribe

Previous Volume 342:1755-1756 June 8, 2000 Number 23 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

	Full Text Purchase this article Add to Personal Archive Add to Citation Manager Notify a Friend E-mail When Cited Related Article by Gillick, M. R.

To the Editor: Gillick (Jan. 20 issue)¹ suggests changing the standard of care of using gastrostomy tubes in patients with advanced dementia. She argues that tube feeding in these patients seldom achieves its intended medical aims and that it does not prevent suffering but actually causes it. She states that this practice deprives patients of the enjoyment that can be derived from eating and the social satisfaction that accompanies feeding by hand.

Feeding by hand is not only an act of social engagement that can be enjoyed by a patient with severe dementia; it is also a psychologically important act . . . [Full Text of this Article]

References

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Caron, C. D., Griffith, J., Arcand, M. (2005). End-of-life decision making in dementia: The perspective of family caregivers. Dementia 4: 113-136 [Abstract]